Archive for September, 2008

The folks at Google have come up with a new open source browser called Google Chrome. It’s your basic web browser, but with some nice additions. Like Mozilla, it makes use of tabs. But you can actually move the tabs around on your screen, so that you can have more than one tab open at a time. And what’s even better is that if one tab crashes, you only lose the one tab, not everything you have been working on.

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John Grogan is well known for his best selling book, “Marley & Me.” His second book, The Longest Trip Home, will be released in October 2008. This book is a memoir of John Grogan’s life and a tribute to his father. The book is broken down into three sections. The first section is about his early years growing up as a Catholic schoolboy near Detroit, Michigan. As you can imagine, he has some interesting stories about this time of his life! The second section is about John going off to college and his early newspaper career. John does mention Marley but he does not redo any of the stories from his original book. The final section starts near the time he started writing his first book and when his father is first diagnosed with cancer.

I was excited to read this book. I really enjoyed Marley & Me and was interested in finding out more about the author, especially since he grew up in Michigan. I found the book entertaining, but the final section really moved me. I could relate to his struggles to connect with and assist his aging parents but still having many responsibilities with his own family. The love and respect John has for his parents is shown throughout the book.

If you enjoy memoirs, be sure to check out this one. Post about your own favorite memoir in the comments!

KDL invites you to celebrate your freedom to read during Banned Books Week. This event is observed each year during the last week of September and celebrated nation-wide . Since 1982, Banned Books Week reminds Americans not to take this precious democratic freedom for granted.

Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to read as well as the freedom to express one’s opinion even though that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular. From J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, the list of banned books is quite impressive. Even more impressive, however, is the conviction of those that choose to stand up for our freedom to read and never take that freedom for granted.

Be sure to check out these great Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read resources:

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Online productivity applications allow users to create and share documents over the internet.Word processing, spreadsheets, presentations — these can all be done using web-based applications like Zoho and Google Docs.Your documents are stored online and can be accessed anywhere you have an internet connection.

Forgot to take your flash drive to the library and can’t print your resume?No problem if you’ve saved it to Zoho!Wrote your paper at school in Word 2007 and can’t open it with Word 2003 at home?Google Docs to the rescue!One advantage to using web-based applications is that you don’t have to worry about different software versions or file types.You can email files or move from one computer to another — the documents go wherever you go! You can even share a file with several people and work on it together.

Check out Zoho or Google Docs to learn more about online productivity applications!

Note: If you use Gmail, Google Docs is already built into your account.Just click on the Documents link at the top of the screen.

Did you know KDL offers a variety of computer classes to help you improve your computer skills and knowledge?

From learning to type to learning Microsoft Word, KDL’s computer classes can help you feel more confident and comfortable with computers and technology. Check our program calendar for upcoming classes at a branch near you.

***Newly added classes:

Resume workshop

Computer Help Lab

Introduction to Microsoft Excel

Introduction to Powerpoint

Creating Digital Holiday Cards

***FYI: New class topics are offered based on your requests

Just can’t wait? Want to get started learning today?! Here’s some Computer Tutorial Resources with great online tutorials for the novice computer user.

Posted by Kelaine

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With October racing around the corner, many are planning parties and costumes. With a little help from a variety of resources, you can plan the best one yet! Many books are available to get in the Halloween mood, as well as several movies to work up some blood curdling screams! For those more interested in history, The Haunted History of Halloween is available to watch.

Of course, what is a halloween party without a carved pumpkin! To do more than just the ordinary, carve a pumpkin with a little pizazz. It will be simple with The Pumpkin Carving Book by your side. With many amazing ideas, your pumpkin will be sure to shriek of creativity!

Good luck, and have a safe and tasty Halloween night!

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A series of P.A.T.H. (Personal Action Toward Health) programs will be offered by the Kent District Library. The P.A.T.H. programs, offered in partnership with Senior Neighbors, focus on helping participants with chronic illness gain confidence in their ability to control their symptoms and find new ways to reduce the negative effects of health problems.

Learn to reduce stress, fatigue and muscle tension, discover ways to communicate effectively with doctors, develop healthy eating habits and more. This program is suitable for anyone living with a long-term health condition or chronic health problem.

Sessions conducted in English will be held at the East Grand Rapids branch of KDL, 746 Lakeside Dr., on Thursdays, October 9 through November 13 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Sessions conducted in Spanish will be held at the Wyoming branch, 3350 Michael Ave., on Mondays, October 6 through November 10 from 2:00 to 4:30 p.m.

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KDL is here to give you the latest and greatest computer information. We hope to answer your computer conundrums, desktop dilemmas, and software scrapes. Join us in discussing the latest internet innovations and hardware highlights. Hope you enjoy it and we help you get answers you’ve been looking for…

Kent District Library believes that responsible stewardship and respect for donors is essential. As such KDL will adhere to A Donor Bill of Rights to direct our relations with current and prospective donors.

For more information on this or any other aspect of the KDL Fund please contact Janice Fonger at 616-784-2092.

For Today . . . For Tomorrow . . . For Forever!

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Welcome to the first day of autumn! Even though it still feels like summer outside, the crisp fall days will be here soon enough. When the weather turns cold, there’s nothing better than curling up in a cozy chair with a blanket and a good book. Check out the new list of nonfiction titles for October and you will have plenty of books to enjoy this fall. You’ll see that bestselling fiction authors Anne Rice and James Patterson have books on this list. Happy reading!